This blog describes Metatime in the Posthuman experience, drawn from Sir Isaac Newton's secret work on the future end of times, a tract in which he described Histories of Things to Come. His hidden papers on the occult were auctioned to two private buyers in 1936 at Sotheby's, but were not available for public research until the 1990s.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

A report from late 2010 confirmed progress made toward unlocking, halting and reversing the ageing process (via Top News):

London, Nov 29 [2010]: Scientists have found a way to reverse aging, unlocking the secret of eternal youth and paving the way for a drug to keep one "forever young".

Lives could be longer and healthier, free from illnesses such as Alzheimer's and heart disease, with skin and hair retaining their youthful lustre. Increasing the number of years of healthy life would greatly ease health service costs and reduce the burden on families of caring for frail relatives, the Daily Mail reported, citing the journal Nature. The research, carried out by oncologist Ronald DePinho of Harvard University, reversed the effects of ageing in animals for the first time in experiments on mice.

Before treatment, the mice's skin, brains, guts and other organs resembled those of an 80-year-old person. But within just two months of being given a drug that switches on a key enzyme, the creatures had grown so many new cells that they had almost completely rejuvenated. Remarkably, the male mice went from being infertile to fathering large litters.

The breakthrough centres on structures called telomeres - tiny biological clocks that cap the ends of chromosomes, protecting them from damage.

Telomeres are a hot topic among Baby Boomers (and likely will soon reach the attention of Gen Xers). Here are some of the hundreds of reports on this topic:

Telomeres and Baby Boomer Aging; quote: "Watching television has no direct effect on telomeres but a recent study indicates that relaxing in front of the tube for 6 hours a day starting at age 25 could shorten the viewer’s life expectancy by almost 5 years. That boils down to giving up 22 minutes of life for each hour."

About Me

Welcome to my blog, dedicated to the aporia, anomie, mysteries, and nervous tensions of the turn of the Millennium. I'm a writer and academic, trained in the field of history. These are my histories of things that define the spirit of our times. This blog also goes beyond historians' visions of the past, and examines how metatime and time are perceived in other media and disciplines, between generations, and in high and pop culture.